Month: May 2016

On Saturday, May 28th I wanted to hike somewhere with Sheila and son-in-law Brad. I was still tired from 12 hours of track meet the day before and slept a little later than usual. There were thunderstorms predicted by 2:00 PM so I decided to again go to Frick Pond since it was near and would probably less populated on the busy weekend. I thought we might hike the Flynn Trail to the Hodge Pond Lookout and then hike back using the Flynn Trail and Quick Lake trails since I was looking for a longer hike. Brad and I got our gear in the car and put an excited Shiela in the back seat as I drove out the DeBruce Road toward Frick Pond. After about 6 miles, I turned left on the Mongaup Pond and stayed left on Beech Mountain Road at the fork. There a few cars in the parking area as I pulled in at just after 10:00 AM. As I was getting my gear ready to go, a mountain biker stopped to ask about the trails. I directed him up the Flynn Trail and over the snowmobile trail to Mongaup Pond where he was staying. Continue reading →

The week of May 22nd began with a sunny skies and cool temperatures on Sunday. The morning skies were bright blue with puffy clouds and slight breeze. Showers threatened but stayed away from most areas. The high temperature was in the high 50’s and there was a cooling breeze. On Monday the temperature rose into the low 70’s and the predicted thunderstorms never showed up. There was only a slight breeze to add a cooling effect. Tuesday was even warmer with some overcast skies in the afternoon and the highs were in the high 70s. Wednesday the highs will reach into the low 80’s and there will be plenty of sun. Thursday through Saturday the sun and high temperatures will remain but there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms each day especially in the afternoon. With the varying temperatures and weather conditions, be sure you are dressed appropriately in clothing with layers that can be used to manage the changing temperatures. Keeping hydrated when the temperatures are so varied can sometimes be tricky since you may not feel that you are sweating as much as on a hot summer day. Hydrating properly will allow you to hike longer and in greater comfort. Once you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Remember, the weather forecast is only a prediction and always contains percentages. Be prepared and have a plan for the most likely and least likely forecast! Are you prepared to stay out overnight on a trail? Conditions in the morning can change drastically by afternoon. Conditions at the trailhead do not always reflect the conditions on the peaks! Variable trail and weather conditions are a hallmark of these mountains. BE CAREFUL AND BE PREPARED!

The week of May 22nd began with a sunny skies and cool temperatures on Sunday. The morning skies were bright blue with puffy clouds and slight breeze. Showers threatened but stayed away from most areas. The high temperature was in the high 50’s and there was a cooling breeze. On Monday the temperature rose into the low 70’s and the predicted thunderstorms never showed up. There was only a slight breeze to add a cooling effect. Tuesday was even warmer with some overcast skies in the afternoon and the highs were in the high 70s. Wednesday the highs will reach into the low 80’s and there will be plenty of sun. Thursday through Saturday the sun and high temperatures will remain but there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms each day especially in the afternoon. With the varying temperatures and weather conditions, be sure you are dressed appropriately in clothing with layers that can be used to manage the changing temperatures. Keeping hydrated when the temperatures are so varied can sometimes be tricky since you may not feel that you are sweating as much as on a hot summer day. Hydrating properly will allow you to hike longer and in greater comfort. Once you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Remember, the weather forecast is only a prediction and always contains percentages. Be prepared and have a plan for the most likely and least likely forecast! Are you prepared to stay out overnight on a trail? Conditions in the morning can change drastically by afternoon. Conditions at the trailhead do not always reflect the conditions on the peaks! Variable trail and weather conditions are a hallmark of these mountains. BE CAREFUL AND BE PREPARED!

The week of May 15th began with a sunny skies and cool temperatures on Sunday. The morning skies were bright blue with puffy clouds and a few snow flakes. This gave way to scattered showers and wind in the afternoon. The high temperature was in the mid 50’s and there was a cooling breeze. On Monday the temperature rose into the mid 60’s but strong winds with stronger gusts made the day feel much cooler. On Tuesday it will be cloudy until late afternoon with the possibility of showers throughout the day. The sun may break through in late afternoon but the highs may not reach 60 degrees. Wednesday through Friday it will be dry and partly sunny as the temperature steadily increases to a high of 70 degrees on Friday. Saturday will also be sunny in the morning with some clouds moving in by afternoon and highs in the high 60’s. With the varying temperatures and weather conditions, be sure you are dressed appropriately in clothing with layers that can be used to manage the changing temperatures. Keeping hydrated when the temperatures are so varied can sometimes be tricky since you may not feel that you are sweating as much as on a hot summer day. Hydrating properly will allow you to hike longer and in greater comfort. Once you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Remember, the weather forecast is only a prediction and always contains percentages. Be prepared and have a plan for the most likely and least likely forecast! Are you prepared to stay out overnight on a trail? Conditions in the morning can change drastically by afternoon. Conditions at the trailhead do not always reflect the conditions on the peaks! Variable trail and weather conditions are a hallmark of these mountains. BE CAREFUL AND BE PREPARED!

The week of May 8th began with a beautiful, sunny Sunday with bright blue skies and puffy white clouds. The high temperature was in the mid 60’s and there was a cooling breeze at times.The forecast for Monday through Thursday of this week looks very much the same each day. There will be partly to mostly sunny skies and the high temperatures will start at 60 degrees on Monday and work their way to 71 degrees on Thursday. Unfortunately clouds carrying rain will work their way into the area by Thursday night. Friday will have periods of rain which may taper off by the afternoon. Saturday morning may be cloudy but their will be rain by Saturday afternoon. With the varying temperatures and weather conditions, be sure you are dressed appropriately in clothing with layers that can be used to manage the changing temperatures. Keeping hydrated when the temperatures are so varied can sometimes be tricky since you may not feel that you are sweating as much as on a hot summer day. Hydrating properly will allow you to hike longer and in greater comfort. Once you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Remember, the weather forecast is only a prediction and always contains percentages. Be prepared and have a plan for the most likely and least likely forecast! Are you prepared to stay out overnight on a trail? Conditions in the morning can change drastically by afternoon. Conditions at the trailhead do not always reflect the conditions on the peaks! Variable trail and weather conditions are a hallmark of these mountains. BE CAREFUL AND BE PREPARED!

The week of May 1st began with a rainy and cool Sunday with showers throughout the day and a high temperature in the low 50’s. On Monday the rain showers continuing tapering off in the late afternoon with a high in the mid 50’s. Tuesday will be warmer with highs in the high 50’s. There will be extensive cloud cover but there is no rain in the forecast. On Wednesday the temperatures will stay in the mid 50’s and it will be cloudy in the morning. There is a chance of scattteered showers in the afternoon. will be plenty of sun with highs in the mid 50’s. By Thursday clouds will move in but the temperatures will stay in the mid 50’s. Rain showers will be around throughout the day. On Friday the temperature will rise into the low 60’s but it will be cloudy with a chance of showers during he day. The skies will become partly sunny on Saturday with temperature moving into the mid-60’s and no rain in the forecast. The possibility of some isolated patches of snow or ice still exits on some of the peaks but the continued warm weather should take care of most of it. With the varying temperatures and weather conditions, be sure you are dressed appropriately in clothing with layers that can be used to manage the changing temperatures. Keeping hydrated when the temperatures are so varied can sometimes be tricky since you may not feel that you are sweating as much as on a warm summer day. Hydrating properly will allow you to hike longer and in greater comfort. Once you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Remember, the weather forecast is only a prediction and always contains percentages. Be prepared and have a plan for the most likely and least likely forecast! Are you prepared to stay out overnight on a trail? Conditions in the morning can change drastically by afternoon. Conditions at the trailhead do not always reflect the conditions on the peaks! Variable trail and weather conditions are a hallmark of these mountains. BE CAREFUL AND BE PREPARED!